The Unique Clone
by The Force
Summary: Cancelled A mishap in the cloning tanks of Kamino creates a special clone. Follow him as he escapes from the cloners, runs into the Jedi and lands in Coruscants Undercity, amongst some of the world's toughest criminals.
1. On the run

"Something happened during the cloning process". Its eyes open, it is surrounded by a bubbly liquid. "It's…different"

-We'll have to fix this immediately!

-We can't! It would kill it!

-Does it matter?

-It would be killing a human being!

-We've done it countless times before. What makes this time so different?

-It's special, unique. We must preserve it…for now.

It wakes up, going about the usual routine. Looks at the schedule, memorising today's sessions, puts on its uniform, and goes out the door. It sits down in front of the monitor, and slips on its helmet. Its helmet is chrome green, which it finds strange. All the other helmets are either silver or gold. It feels out of place, for the first time it realizes this. Compared to the others, who always work alone, it has three different tutors to suit its needs. It learns at a very slow rate compared to its classmates. This makes it feel inferior to the others. It has spent years learning simple things, while others learned twice faster, and grew twice as fast. They got into the clone army very early. It hasn't even touched a gun yet. "Pay attention clone #50817!" It turns its head quickly, and stares at the monitor for hours.

It slips out of its bedroom late at night. The hallway is dark, lit only by a few service lights for the janitors. It does this often, the repetitive classes bore it. It longs for excitement; it wants something else then to be stuck on Kamino. Suddenly it hears the light footsteps of a Kaminoan and huddles in the darkness. The Kaminoan walks by, unconscious of its presence. The clone runs past a door, and hears soft voices inside. Curious, it sneaks a small peek, and sees two Kaminoans talking with a tall black man. "Master Jedi, we are so glad you have come. We don't know what to do with this clone, it's…special." Says Lama Su, the kaminoan prime minister.

"You say the clone's DNA was altered? That's impossible! All our calculations were correct. No bacteria can get into our hermetically sealed labs." says a kaminoan in a long white coat.

"Perhaps it was the will of the Force" Says the tall man, his hand waving in the air.

"Master Jedi, please accompany me to the child's room. There you can conduct any observations that are required." Says Lama Su, shooting a glare at the kaminoan scientist.

The group starts walking towards the door. The clone jerks and darts for its room. It runs as fast as it can and bumps into something. It looks up and sees… the black man! "Greetings child, what are you doing wandering about at this time of night?"

"I was just… exploring."

"I sense a great amount of fear in you. Do not be afraid, I will not harm you." He kneels down next to the clone and puts his hand onto its shoulder. Lama Su comes down the corridor. "Ah, I see you have met the clone, Master Jedi. As you can see, its physical traits are different from the other clones."

"There's something else about this child. I just can't put my finger on it." The Jedi rises. "Lama Su, I will accompany this child to its room, please leave us."

"As you wish Master Jedi." The kaminoan turns on his heels and walks away calmly. "Come, you must show me where you reside."

"Yes Master Jedi."

The clone enters the room, the Jedi right behind. The Jedi walks around, observing his surroundings like an animal in a new home. The clone was very afraid. Among the young clones, stories of Jedi killing hundreds were frequent. It grabs its pack and slowly walks out of the room. "Where might you be going youngling?" The Jedi asks. The clone dashes away towards the shuttles. The Jedi takes his comlink and activates it. "Lama Su, the clone has escaped. Send a squadron after it". "Right away master Jedi.''

Countless kaminoans look at it, puzzled, while it runs by. Doors open and scientists come out, shouting. They all try to catch it, but it ducks and jumps, weaves left and right, avoiding the numerous hands. It finally escapes from the cloning facility. Just outside the entrance, there are many landing pads scattered about. There are ships everywhere. It runs toward a cargo ship, trying to find refuge. It dumps a crate and climbs aboard. The wooden crate shatters against the cement, it is filled with blasters. The clone picks up one of them and stuffs it down its bag. It squeezes into a tight space and tries to fall asleep. "Maybe I should have stayed back in my room."

"Hey! Who do you think you are?! Get out of my ship!!" "Pardon my intrusion sir, but I needed a transport." "I don't care! Get out now!" The short rodian grabs it by the shoulder and throws it outside the ship. The rodian locks the cargo door and goes into a door underneath a flashing sign. The clone explores its surroundings, it's good at that. Trash is everywhere and the buildings are crumbling. Crowds walk up and down the streets, most wear torn rags or handmade clothes. It looks up and there are speeders crowding the air. It sees an info booth and walks towards it. "Hello young sir, how may I help you?" The droid behind the counter is old and worn. "Hello, I am clone #50817 from the Kaminoan army. I'm running from a Jedi." "Very funny, but I don't have time for jokes. Do you require any assistance?" The droid said in an annoyed voice. "Well, huh, what planet am I on?" "You are in the underlevels of Coruscant. Anything else you want to know?" "No, thank you." He walked away from the old droid. "Coruscant? But there's a Jedi temple here! I've got to go." He said to himself. He walked back towards the rodian's ship, hoping to stow away again. The streets of the Undercity weren't what the clone was used to. There were rows of small shops with blinking signs, heavily armed thugs walking past him, and pests crawling about. He arrived at the ship. He saw a tracking device next to the cargo door! "The Jedi know I'm here, bad idea to stow away there then." He saw a pair of Jedi walking towards him, so he pulled up the hood on his raincoat. He walked by them and they didn't notice him. Once they were out of hearing distance, he hid in an alley. He peeked around the corner. It wasn't him they were looking for. They entered the bar the rodian pilot was in. And they soon came out with the rodian between them. They pushed the rodian against his ship. One of the Jedi searched the ship while the other interrogated the pilot. "You picked up a little stow away on your trip from Kamino, where is he?" "I…I don't know what you're talking about!" A blue blade appeared under the rodian's chin. The pilot was even more nervous. "Come on, Denchar, leave the poor guy alone, the clone's not on the ship." The other Jedi called from the cargo hold. "What did you do with the clone!" The blade gets even closer to the pilot's neck. "Well…I don't know about any clones, but I did throw a small boy off my ship" "What?! He could be anywhere in the Coruscant Undercity! How will we ever find him now?!" Denchar shouts while the pilot tries to sneak away. The Jedi catches him and smashes him on the ship's hull. "I'm not done with you yet!" The other Jedi jumps from the cargo hold. "Denchar, let him go!!" He pulls on Denchar's arm and turns to the rodian. "You're free to go sir, thank you for your help." He says with a calm nod. The pilot didn't need to be asked twice, he dashed away. The Jedi turns back to Denchar and says: "Denchar, can't you stay calm for one conversation? Anger leads to the Dark Side; 'there is no emotion; there is peace.'" "I'm sorry. I don't know why, it's just so easy to give in…so I do." "The life of a Jedi is a long and hard path, just like this mission. Come on, let's go find that clone." "Right."

The clone watched silently as the Jedi left. He saw the human side of a Jedi, and it reassured him, but scared him as well. "What am I going to do now?" He asked himself. "Maybe I could help." The clone turned around and saw an alien only about a meter tall. It had blue fur, large yellowish eyes, the muzzle of a rodent and large pointy ears going straight up. "You're looking at me like you've never seen a Squib before." Said the creature while rummaging through trash. "Well…I haven't…I haven't seen much outside of Kamino." "Kamino? How did you get all the way over here from Kamino? Wait, I recognize your clothes. You're a clone aren't you?" "Why, yes, I am." The Squib got closer and examined the clone. "But you don't really look that much like a clone." "I don't?" "Nope, you're pretty different if you really are one." "I am a clone!" "Kind of hard to believe. But the way you act…you've never been off Kamino right?" "Not until today." "Then give me the honour of being your official welcoming committee! Welcome to the Coruscant Undercity; the happiest place in the galaxy, if you're a Squib anyway." "What makes you say that?" "Don't they make you study us on Kamino? We Squibs enjoy scavenging, bartering and trading in general. And the Undercity is the best place for that. So what's your name anyway?" "I'm clone #50817." "You're not going to survive long down here if you keep repeating that number. Maybe I should give you a name." The Squib paced around thoughtfully. "What about…Jarek? Yeah, that sounds nice!" "Whatever you say." "Oh come on, you like it right?" "Uh, sure. What's your name?" "My name's Davzay, but just call me Daz." "Alright. You mentioned that you could help me?" "Oh right, well, if you're in the Undercity alone you won't live very long, especially with Jedi hunting you. So if you follow me you'll be sure to survive." "I really appreciate your help, Daz" "There's not much to scavenge these days, with the war and everything. This could be fun. So why are the Jedi hunting you anyway?" "I don't know, this frightening Jedi came to Kamino especially for me, and I ran." "Jedi don't usually hunt people unless they've done really bad stuff, like high treason or something." "I haven't done anything like that… well, not that I know of anyway." "Weird. Hey, here's an idea! I saw a Jedi over there, how about we go spy on him?" "I don't think…" "There's not much else we can do is there?" Daz was right. Even if Jarek was against the idea of spying on Jedi, he didn't want to be hunted anymore. "I saw the Jedi walk into a cantina, maybe we should head there." Said Daz. "Good idea. But what if he recognizes me?" "Then I'll be the distraction while you run." Said the Squib with a smile. "You have a weapon right?" asked Daz. "Oh yeah, it's right… Hey, where is it?!" "What's wrong?" "I had a blaster right here! I must have left it on the ship." "Or someone must have stolen it. This place is full of pickpockets. Wait, you have a ship?!" "No, I just stowed away on one." "Well a ship could have been useful right about now. No matter, let's head to the cantina, just stay behind me." Jarek pulled his hood over his face and followed Daz into the cantina.

The cantina was a filthy place. The air was foul. It smelled of strange concoctions and weird smokes. The walls were cracked and vermin were crawling through. The furniture was cheap and on the verge of collapse. Despite this, the cantina was packed; most of the seats were taken. "Come on, let's hit the bar." Said Daz. "But I'm too young to drink!" "It's the best place to be on lookout. But I _**might**_ sneak a drink somewhere." "Daz!" "Fine, fine no drinks. Let's go." They started walking towards the bar, and Jarek bumped into a gamorrean. The huge beast grunted at Jarek. "I'm sorry…sir, I can't understand what you're saying." The gamorrean wasn't happy. He pushed Jarek on the bar and brought up a huge vibro-ax. The axe was a foot from Jarek's face when a blaster bolt came through the gamorrean. He fell to the ground with a deep sound. Daz was twirling his blaster and walking towards Jarek. "Hey, are you ok?" "Yeah, thanks to you." "I think we'd better get out of here before…" A fist sent Daz flying into a wall. "DAZ!" The Squib lay on the ground motionless. Jarek ran over as quick as he could. "Are you alright?" Daz stirred a little, but said nothing. Jarek picked up the blaster lying by his friend's side and looked for the closest patron. Everyone was charging at each other, and there was great confusion. None of the less, Jarek had his sights set on a Klatooinian that was charging towards him, vibro-blade in hand. He pulled the trigger, and heard a loud clicking sound. The blaster was out! He tossed it aside and raised his shaking hands. He looked over his shoulder and saw Daz, still motionless. His hands stopped quivering and his teeth stopped chattering. He looked the Klatooinian in the eyes. The Klatooinian stopped for a moment, laughed and charged again, but this time headed for Daz. "Don't touch him!" Jarek shouted as he ran towards the Klatooinian. He felt light, as if the air was carrying his steps. It was like a wind was pushing him up. "Worth a try" he thought. When the Klatooinian was a meter away from him, Jarek jumped, somersaulted and landed back on his feet behind him. The patron was confused. He turned around and his face met with Jarek's foot. All the patrons in the bar turned towards him, including a mysterious man in a hood. Jarek picked up the vibro-blade and shouted: "Who's next!? Anybody wants some of this?!". He was angry. He hated the Klatooinian, hated the bar's patrons, hated the Jedi, hated that he had to hide. As hate and anger flew through him he blindly charged at the nearest patron. The hooded man looked on worriedly. He clipped back his weapon and ran to meet the boy. Jarek was about to bring down his sword on a helpless Twi-Lek when someone grabbed his arm. He turned around and fingers settled on his forehead. His vision clouded and he fell, unconscious.

When he woke up, he was in a large room. The sun came in from between curtains. He got out of the bed and found a new set of clothes on the end of the bed. As he put them on he noticed they were similar to the robes of the Jedi. He walked out of the room and saw the hooded man waiting for him outside the door. Only his hood was down and Jarek saw he was a Jedi. "Good morning. Did you sleep well?" he said. "Where am I?" asked Jarek, frightened. "Do not worry; you're in the Jedi Temple. You are safe now." "Safe?! You're the one who tried to kill me last night!" "What are you babbling about? I saved you." "Saved me from what!? I could've handled all those guys!" "From the Dark Side. Your emotions clouded your vision and you were focused on inflicting pain and suffering." "But my friend was…" "Your friend is in safe hands. He is sleeping in the medical chambers. Now follow me, the Jedi council would like to speak with you." Jarek reluctantly followed the Jedi across the temple. Jedi walked by, not noticing him, focused on their tasks. When he looked at them he didn't see murderers. He saw normal people. Only with Force powers. And lightsabers. He entered the Coucil chamber and saw 12 Jedi seated around the room. The Jedi greeted the other Masters and walked out of the room. Jarek walked towards the middle of the room and recognized the tall black man sitting on one of the chairs. Now he was definitely worried. "Know why you are here, do you?" Yoda asked him. "Am I in some sort of trouble?" Jarek replied. "Don't answer our questions with other questions." Said the tall black man, also known as Mace Windu. "Stay calm young one. We aren't going to hurt you." Said a Jedi known as Obi-Wan Kenobi. "So why am I here?" asked Jarek. "According to one of our Jedi Knights, last night you were involved in a…quarrel." Said Mace Windu. "The bar fight? No listen, it's not my fault!" "Matter it does not." Said Yoda. "We have reports that you were…assisted by the Force during the confrontation." "Wait, all I did was a little somersault!" "Over a creature that was twice your size." Said Obi-Wan, calmly. "How did you feel when you did this?" asked Mace. "I felt light. Like a leaf on the wind." Replied Jarek. Mace turned to Yoda. "Interesting, this is." "Return to your room. We must discuss amonst…" Mace Windu was interrupted by quick steps outside the door, followed by screams. The Jedi all stood up, their hands on their lightsabers. The door opened, and Daz was standing in the doorway, a scalpel in hand. "Get away from him!" The masters sat back down. Obi-Wan chuckled a little: "Your friend's loyalty is to be admired." He said to Jarek. "It's alright Daz, they're not going to hurt me. "Oh." Daz lowered his scalpel. "I think I'll go back to sleep then." "See you later Daz." Daz walked out of the room, holding his bandaged side. "Go back to your room young one. We must discuss amongst ourselves." Jarek walked out of the Council chambers and returned to his room.


	2. Sanctuary

"I don't like this" said Daz under his breath. Jarek had been in the Jedi Temple for a week now. He hadn't seen the masters again. They were both sitting in Jarek's room, they were rarely allowed outside. They could only come out when the "hooded man", as Jarek now called him, was with them. So far, they had seen Yoda training younglings, they had been to the archives and visited most of the Jedi Temple. But they were never allowed in the Jedi Council chambers. The masters were almost always inside, debating about different issues, or so it seemed. "What do you mean?" asked Jarek. "They've been keeping you here too long." replied Daz. "So? What could they possibly do?" "They're Jedi. They think they can do anything they want just because they can mess up your mind..." Said Daz, his voice cracking a little. "Are you alright?" Asked Jarek, concerned. Daz raised a hand to his eye and rubbed it a little. "I'm fine. What do you say we do a little exploring?" Said Daz, his face brightening up again. "But the Council said..." "Aww, space the council...I'm getting bored anyway." retorted Daz, jumping to his feet. "Well...I guess it couldn't hurt." whispered Jarek timidly. "Great!" Exclaimed Daz, clapping his hands. "What do you want to hit first? The girl's changing room could be a start." Said Daz, raising his eyebrows. "I thought we could visit the Archives." Cut in Jarek. "But that's no fun! Tell you what, let's split up and meet back here in half an hour!" Called Daz, halfway out the door. Jarek started a reply, but Daz was already running down the hallways.

Jarek had been wandering in the Jedi Archives for what seemed like hours now, browsing through the different holocrons. He had learned much of the Jedi and the Sith. He had read tales of great Force-users who could perform amazing feats. Such as a young Jedi Knight who mastered Battle Meditation and helped the Old Republic defeat a never-ending armada of Sith forces. He had also learned of the Sith Lord Exar-Kun who nearly conquered the galaxy. The great amount of knowledge the Archives possed amazed Jarek. He sat at a table crowded with holocrons and durasheets, intrigued by all there was to learn of the Jedi. "What are you doing here?" Jarek turned in his chair to see an old woman with powerful eyes and a look that carried great wisdom. "No classes were scheduled to visit the Archives at this time." "I'm sorry, I was only looking." said Jarek, standing up quickly. The old woman examined him from head to toe. "You don't look like a padawan, who are you exactly?" questionned the woman, unthreatening. "I am #50...Jarek, my name's Jarek." "I am pleased to meet you Jarek. I am Jedi Librarian Jocasta Nu. I am sorry, but the Archives are for Jedi only." "Then I will clean up and leave." answered Jarek as he moved to pick up his mess.

Meanwhile, Daz was looking for something to do. He had already been to the women's changing room's, only to be escorted out by a brutal Force push. _What do these Jedi have that keeps them holed up here all the time? _He heard cheers and chants as he passed by a large door. When he pressed his ear against it, he could also hear the low hums and clashes of lightsabers. _This sounds interesting. _He opened the door and slowly walked in. His eyes widened in surprise. Standing before him was a large arena. There was an oval of land that was lower then everything else. There, he could see two Jedi engaged in lightsaber combat. Above the actual arena were rows and rows of chairs, almost all occupied by cheering sentients. He noticed an empty chair nearby. _Could be fun to watch. _He moved to the chair and sat down. Now that he looked closer, he saw that one of the Jedi had a red lightsaber and wore red robes. The other Jedi was adorned with a black cloak and showed no flesh. He wielded a blue saber. The "blue" Jedi looked like he was winning, even if the duel was a fierce one. Almost all attacks from the "red" Jedi were deflected by the "blue" jedi. The "blue" Jedi retaliated a final time and struck a fatal blow on the "red" Jedi. The "red" Jedi, with a lightsaber pointed at his throat, gasped something Daz couldn't hear and died. Daz stood up, worried, while everyone else was clamoring. A hand fell on his shoulder, and Daz, startled, look up to see the "hooded man". "Oh, it's just you." sighed Daz with relief. "What are you doing outside your chambers?" asked the Jedi, his eyebrows crawling into a frown. "I was just looking for something to do. So, what was that anyway?" wondered Daz, pointing the arena. "Ah, that was a Kai-kan. A recreation of a famous lightsaber duel." "Really? Which one?" "I believe that was the duel between Revan and Darth Malak." "So is that guy really dead?" "No, he's fine. I've been looking all over for you. The masters want to see Jarek again."


	3. Judgement

The Council Chambers felt oddly cold for Jarek that day. He stood surrounded by the twelve Jedi Masters, each with their own icy stare. Since he had walked in the room, all the Jedi Masters had hushed their whispers. The silence had felt like hours, even if it was really only a few seconds. "Discussed your case, we have." began Yoda in a grave tone. Jarek stayed silent, shuffling his feet nervously.

"We've had much debate over this issue, young one…" Said Obi-Wan, reassuringly.

"My name is Jarek." He cut in.

The Jedi looked at each other sternly.

"Jarek, we realize that we have caused you a great amount of trouble in trying to bring you here." Said Shaak Ti. "And we know it has caused you and your friend a lot of inconvenience, but…" The Jedi Master shifted uneasily in her seat.

"We cannot train you as a Jedi." Said Mace Windu abruptly.

"What?" Jarek felt his jaw drop. He couldn't believe how arrogant these Jedi were. His feet stopped shifting and his hands balled into fists.

"Too old you are, too full of emotions, of anger." Answered Yoda, observative.

"You're turning me down because of anger? Why are you so afraid of anger?" Retorted Jarek, feeling his heart burn.

"Afraid? Afraid we are not. Anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." Yoda closed his eyes. "Much anger I sense in you."

"Why should we condemn him because of his emotions?" Anakin stormed from his seat. "I'm sure we can all feel the power in this boy! Why should we be holding him back this way?" continued the Jedi Knight.

"Take a seat young Skywalker." growled Mace Windu.

Anakin slowly sat back down. Jarek was glad that least one of the Council members was on his side, even if he didn't have much influence.

"You may stay here for as long as you need." offered Obi-Wan.

"No, I'll get Daz and we'll leave." spat Jarek. He tried to leave the Council calmly, but his anger turned his steps into stomps.

_Why won't they train me?__ Did I do something wrong? Was it because of the bar fight? I told them I didn't start that…Wait, what did the green guy say? Too old, too full of emotions. I don't understand. "Too old"? What does that have to do with anything? Does this "Force" thing have age restrictions? "Too full of emotions"? There's nothing wrong with being human, is there? If being a Jedi means not feeling anger, joy or love, I don't want to be one of them. They hunted me from Kamino, forced me to Coruscant but then they send me back. Now I've got nowhere to go. Daz was right, Jedi really do think they're above everyone else._

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"Well, I'm sure glad we're leaving!" said Daz, packing aqua breathers, holo-projectors and the sort. "Never trusted Jedi, and never will." Daz slowed his packing, observing some of his "finds": "Some of this stuff could be worth thousands!" Jarek didn't answer. He had been sitting with his head in his hands the whole time Daz had been talking. His hands were getting sore. "Hey, what's _this_?" Jarek's head shot up: "Are you sure we should be taking all these things?"

"Why not? It's not like we should care." Daz was studying something in his hand. Jarek leaned over his shoulder. It was a small crystal, about two inches long, one inch wide. It shined a bright green when the light hit it. "Any idea what it is?" asked Daz, dropping it in Jarek's open palm. Jarek turned it over between his fingers. "It looks like a…lightsaber crystal. How did you get this?"

"Wait, how do you know this stuff?"

"I spent most of my time browsing the Archives. Came across something on lightsaber construction. So where'd you get it?"

"Found it in the Archives, got kicked out before I could get any more though." Daz replied with a grin.

Jarek thought for a while: "Do you mind if I keep this?"

"Go ahead; I got lots of stuff to make up for it."

Jarek tucked the crystals into one of the pouches on his belt. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Daz's ears straightened and he put his hand over his blaster: "I got a bad feeling about this." Daz motioned towards the door and Jarek moved to the control panel. He pressed the button, the door slid open. "What do you want?" Daz growled between his teeth. The tall man standing at the door was unimpressed. "I know Jarek's behind the door, can I talk to him?" Jarek slipped from the control panel to the open door. "Hey you're that Skywalker guy!" Anakin chuckled a little. "I'm Anakin." Daz took his hand off his blaster but still growled at Skywalker: "What do you want from us?"

"I just wanted to tell Jarek that I was sorry about the Council's decision. I was always on your side in our debates, but that doesn't really help much. After all, I'm not a Jedi Master yet." Anakin looked at his feet sadly. Jarek looked up at him: "That's ok, you did your best." Anakin raised his head: "Thank you. I wish you the best, and may the Force be with you." The Jedi Knight walked away.

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Jarek strode out of the Jedi Temple at Daz's side. "What's wrong with you? Growling at Anakin like that!" Daz stopped walking and turned around abruptly.

"It's not that I don't like him. I just have a bad feeling about him. You wouldn't understand…" Daz slung his pack over his back and kept walking. "So where are we going anyway?" Daz talked to Jarek over his shoulder: "We're taking a shuttle to the Undercity" Jarek protested: "Why? It's so much nicer up here!"

"Well it's a lot more fun down there." Daz smirked.


	4. Hidden treasures

**_This might not be one of my better chapters :P. This is basically a series of creative bursts that I revised afterwards. I'm pretty satisfied with where this story is going and I'm planning to write some more chapters, and if my story goes the way it's going, we're looking at anywhere between 5 and 10 chapters. So stay tuned for the next one (coming when it's done!)._**

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As the transport's door slid open, an overwhelming stench struck at Jarek's nostrils. He quickly put his hand to his face. "Ah, I love the smell of garbage in the morning." Daz snorted the smell in. The two friends struggled through the crowd. "I don't understand why we had to come here." Jarek whined.

"Because this is the easiest place to make some credits, and that's what we need right now." Daz fingered through his pocket, taking what he had left. He counted the credit chips in his hand. They added up to 12 credits. Dropping the chips back in his pocket, he ran his eyes over the entirety of the station: "There are a couple of things we could try, some quicker then others." He paused, pointing at a man wearing an elaborate green robe with golden trimmings and a longer, darker cloak that covered most of his body. The man walked quickly, bumping into everyone. "We could always try pick-pocketing. That guy looks like a noble." Said Daz, rubbing his hands.

"But that's so wrong…." Jarek didn't have time to finish his sentence, Daz darted towards the rich man. Daz melted into the crowd like water pouring through cracks in the dirt. It almost seemed like he was invisible. Daz was actually crouched extremely low, making him seem even smaller then he actually was. Jarek saw a furry blue hand inch towards the noble's robes, bury itself in them and come out clutching something. A blue spot made its way through the crowd, and all the way back to Jarek. Daz opened his hand, revealing a heap of sparkling square chips. "I don't believe it! I just made around 2000 credits! Who can afford to carry this much credits in the Undercity?" Daz tried to find the noble again, but he was gone. He rubbed his chin with a furry blue hand. "No matter. Now, to use this money properly. Ok, we're both gonna need some weapons…" Daz listed necessary, and other unnecessary, items that they would need to buy.

While Daz chattered on, Jarek drifted into his thoughts, thinking about recent events. He hadn't done a lot of thinking lately, his life had been going at such a fast pace compared to his life on Kamino. He kind of missed the cloning facility. The teachers there were always kind to him when he needed help, unlike the Jedi who turned him away because of his emotions. His teachers had helped him embrace his emotions. He didn't know why. He didn't even know why he _had _emotions, the other clones didn't…As he reflected, he saw a red spot out of the corner of his eye. It was a very subtle one, hidden in the crowd. When he looked towards the spot, he was amazed. Standing in the mob was the most beautiful Twi'lek he had ever led his eyes on, and he had seen a couple in the Undercity. Her skin was as red as a rose, a lekku was perfectly wrapped around her neck while the other hung on her shoulder. Her eyes were a striking blue that contrasted flawlessly with her skin. Her stride was slow and graceful, even when getting bumped into. Even if she was hidden in the swarm of sentients, to Jarek it appeared like he could see her alone, as if she was separated from the rest of the crowd. He noticed how she seemed to have difficulty manoeuvring in the swarm. He started towards her and Daz interrupted his speech: "Wait, where are you going?" Jarek ignored him and kept walking. He weaved his way into the crowd, trying to catch up with the Twi'lek, while Daz tried to follow Jarek's long strides. Then, as Jarek was a meter away from the beautiful alien, she got knocked over by an inconsiderate Nikto. He darted towards her and knelt next to her: "Are you ok?" She slowly nodded, slightly confused at the way this stranger helped her. "Hey you!" Jarek shouted into the crowd. The Nikto turned around and settled his harsh gaze on Jarek. He was unshaken by the alien's attempt at intimidation and rose to his feet. "You just knocked over this sentient, have some respect!"

Jarek wasn't sure, but if the Nikto had eyebrows, it would be cocking one right now: "You'd better watch your mouth boy!" The Nikto barked at him and started to turn away.

"You didn't say you were sorry!" Jarek shouted at the alien's back. The Nikto gave a quick laugh and walked away. Jarek turned back to the Twi'lek and gave her a hand: "Let me help." Jarek offered with a smile. She wrapped her fingers around his slowly, one by one, and he jolted at the contact of their skin. When she stood up, her eyes looked straight into his. They stayed standing for an instant, holding hands. It felt like they were gazing into each other's soul. Jarek wished the minute would have lasted an eternity. _Moments like these are why I'm happy I'm not a Jedi. _She took away her hand and hid it behind her back, like ashamed. "Thanks for your help handsome." She offered, setting up defensive veil of detachment. "So who are you anyway?" She asked, grabbing one of her lekku with her other hand.

"I'm Jarek, I guess you could say I just moved here. So who are you gorgeous?" He replied setting up similar defences.

"No last names?" she giggled "I'm Ahlani. Listen, I gotta go. You want my comlink number? We could chat later." She insisted with a wonderful smile. Her barricade cracked slightly.

"Um….sure." Jarek replied uncertainly. She doodled on a piece of durasheet. She handed it to him and ran off, giving him a gracious wave. Jarek glanced at the number on the durasheet. _Ahlani._ Daz finally broke through the crowd. "I tell you, if you were my height, you would be doomed." Jarek thought for a second, and then presented the durasheet to Daz.

"Uh Daz, could you tell me what this is for?"


	5. Homebound

_Sorry I haven't updated in forever, but I was pretty busy and I was stuck without internet for the holidays. I hope you like where I'm going with this story, and if you don't, tell me! But also tell me why, so I can improve. This is my first serious fan fiction after all. On a sidenote, I'd like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!_

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After countless hours of wandering the different shops of the Undercity, Daz handed a large bag to Jarek. He dug into the bag to find numerous items, including clothes, a blaster, a datapad and other items. "What's all this?" Jarek asked incredulously.

"This is stuff you'll absolutely need to survive, especially down here." Daz replied. Jarek pulled out a comlink. _I'll bet this is what I'll use to call Alhani. _Just thinking of the name gave him butterflies.Jarek held the comlink close to his heart as he dreamt of the twi-lek."Now go and put that on." Said Daz, motioning to the clothes Jarek was holding.

"But everyone can see me!"

"Not if you go behind there. Now stop acting like a baby and go." Ordered Daz, pointing a back alley. Jarek entered the alley. "Well?" said Daz. Jarek strode out of the alley, looking like a completely different person. He wore black leather boots that stopped just below his knee, pants that were a dark grey with a holster slung low to his right, a white undershirt and a long-sleeved black vest.

"I really like it!" said Jarek. "Are there any credits left?" Jarek asked excitedly, like a child in a toy store. Daz stuffed his hand in his pocket, fiddling with his fingers. "I got about…200 left. They're yours if you want them."

"Thanks!" Exclaimed Jarek while Daz threw the chips into his hands. "Where's the nearest tech shop?" asked Jarek. Daz looked at Jarek incredulously. _Why would he want a bunch of tools?_ He thought for a while, and he finally pointed Jarek north: "Come back here in an hour."

Ahlani sat in the dirty, clunky transport as her hands played with her lekku. She was stuck between a Besalisk and a rather corpulent Rodian, but she was comfortable nonetheless. Her mind was only focused on one thing. The boy she had met in the crowd. _Jarek, that's a pretty unusual name. Wonder where he's from._ She dreamt of his face and loosely held onto her bag. It was filled with various things she had been asked to fetch, computer parts, food, clothes, the list went on. Her father didn't approve of her frequent excursions into the Undercity, but the butlers still sneaked her into a transport, especially since she often brought back exactly what they needed. Ahlani's father, Chylev Krel was a senator who represented his homeworld of Ryloth. He had a grand home on Coruscant, and some scattered around the galaxy as well. As the tram began the long ascent to the surface, she fiddled with her comlink, expecting a certain call.

The senator's palace was a grand structure. It was formed by two large stone columns that stood at each edge. They were tall, grey with golden highlights and their top formed two large triangles that sloped outward. And between the two columns, a large triangle peaked upward, stopping short beneath the top of the pillars. A large square gate stood as an entrance. The senator was incredibly proud of the craftsmanship, but Ahlani had always found it repulsive. It had something to do with those large, aggressive angles. They made her a bit nervous. As Ahlani entered, she was greeted by her father's Jedi aide. It was peculiar to find a Jedi residing in a senator's home, they usually stayed completely out of politics. _Can't blame them._ He had explained to her that it was his mission to guide her father's judgement, as he could change the fate of Ryloth. Ryloth exported the mineral known as Ryll, which was used for medicinal purposes. The Jedi Knight had also explained that the senator could put an end to the slave trades happening on Ryloth. "So, how was your trip?" The Zabrak Jedi began.

"Mostly ordinary…" Ahlani answered, still thinking of that boy.

"And what do you mean by that?" Asked the Jedi, cocking an eyebrow.

"Well, I did what you asked me to do, opening myself to the beings around me, and I found something." The Jedi followed Ahlani's every word and nodded curiously.

The twi-lek continued: "I bumped into this….young man and when I looked into him, he just…blazed, you know?" _But that's not the only thing about him. _She quietly finished with a grin.

"So you saw the Force…'blazing' from him?" The Jedi gestured slowly.

"Yeah, it was amazing, almost like his heart was a star and an amazing amount of energy just _radiated_ outward."

The Jedi put his hands on Ahlani's shoulders: "Congratulations, you've just taken your first step into a larger world." He smiled. The first time the Zabrak saw Ahlani, he felt the Force pouring through her. But almost like there was just a trickle. The Jedi Council had denied him the right to train her at the Temple, but he taught her without her father knowing. Now, whenever he looked into her, he saw a river. "And I'm very proud of you." Just then, Senator Krel entered into the hall and hurried to the two people. "Ahlani, where have you been?" The senator's face would have been red with anger, if that wasn't its natural tone. "Ah, no matter, I don't have time to deal with you. Master Vilk, I require your assistance with certain matters, would you help?" The Jedi winked at Ahlani and walked away. The twi-lek fell into a chair and dropped her bag, infuriated by her father's attitude. She hated feeling…tossed aside like this. Suddenly, a beep came from her pouch, and as she took out her comlink, her father just slipped from her mind and she focused on the flashing name on the screen "JAREK"….


End file.
